This is about drug addiction, but it doesn't have the somber tone that many songs about addiction have. The band describes it as "a little quacky." The song can also be interpreted to be about how society views death or about Christ.

Chop Suey is a Chinese stew made with meat or fish, plus bamboo sprouts, onions, rice and water chestnuts. They used it for the name of the song because it describes their musical style, with lots of stuff thrown together. The title is not in the lyrics. (thanks, Paul - Westlake, OH)

The original name of the song is "Suicide," but they had to change the name to make it radio friendly. In the beginning of the song, you hear Serj say "we're rolling suicide." The title is a bit of a play on words - "Suey-cide." (thanks, Ronnie - Pompton Lakes, NJ)

The video was shot in the parking lot of a cheap hotel near where the band grew up in Los Angeles. Before the shoot, they posted a note on their website inviting fans to come down and participate. Since they were not well known, they thought they would get about 500, but instead 1500 fans showed up. The fans (mostly kids) were instructed to swarm the stage so they could help capture the energy of their live shows.

The video was directed by Marcos Siega, who has also worked with blink-182 and Papa Roach.

This was the first single from their second album, and their breakout hit. The band feels they evolved a great deal between albums and did things on this that they wouldn't have thought of before.

They named the album Toxicity in honor of Los Angeles, which they considered a "Toxic City." They grew up in a bad section and wanted people to know that it wasn't all glamorous.

This was climbing the charts when it was silenced by the events of September 11, 2001. Just about every radio station pulled this from their playlists in an effort to be as sensitive as possible after the tragedy. Even though the song had nothing to do with terrorism, it was considered much too aggressive. The line "I cry when angels deserve to die" was a little too heavy for most program directors. When things settled down, it returned to the airwaves pretty much where it left off, since there weren't many songs released in the weeks after 9/11.

MTV didn't take out the word "Suicide" from this song as it did with Papa Roach's "Last Resort."

The lyrics were written by Serj Tankian and Daron Malakian. The music was by Daron Malakian. (thanks, Nick - Paramus, NJ, for above 2)

Jesus said, "I commend my spirit" in Luke 23:46, which is most likely where that part of the song came from. The line "Why have you forsaken me, in your eyes forsaken me?" is likely referring to Isaiah 49:14, which says "The Lord has forsaken me, and my Lord has forgotten me." (thanks, Simon - Anchorage, AK and Elliot - St. Louis, MO)

Avril Lavigne did a cover of this that didn't go over well with System Of A Down fans. It was described as "Choplicated". (thanks, pschoman364 - NYC, NY)

In 1896 the new Chinese ambassador to the United States, Li Hung-Chang arrived in New York with a large staff including 3 cooks. He was determined to impress the Americans with the values of Chinese culture and cuisine and he gave a dinner party to which he invited distinguished members of both the American and Chinese communities. To make the event memorable, he instructed his chefs to include in the menu an entirely new course which would appeal equally to western and eastern palates. The result was a mixture of chopped bean sprouts, celery and meat in a soy sauce, all finely cut up and served under the name of Chop Suey, the English "chop" combined with Chinese "bits," spelled phonetically "suey." (From the book Food for Thought: Extraordinary Little Chronicles of the World by Ed Pearce)

Guitarist Daron Malakian: "The song is about how when people die, they will be regarded differently depending on the way they pass. Like, if I were to die from a drug overdose, everyone would say I deserved it because I abused drugs, hence the line 'Angels deserve to die.'" (thanks, dwayne - dudley, England)

Comments: 185

This is to Lord Of Light. You're right about one thing, Lucifer did not betray God, he tried to be better than God. Lord of Light? That seems funny to me and the fact that you are from LA, CA is even funnier... Now do tell me if I am mistaken, but I believe you are a luciferian.Jocelyn - Chicago

What makes your think that "why have you forsaken me" is referred to Jesus and not Lucifer? It could be said by either of them and that "angels deserve to die" part could be referred to Michael and his "crew" of good angels, not Lucifer. I mean wtf are you even talking about? You guys don't even know the true story and yet you call yourself righteous to judge what's good and what's bad/evil. Maybe S.O.A.D. is anti-christ after all, who knows. Maybe they did this on purpose so you're in doubt between the two stories, one that makes Jesus stand out and one that makes Lucifer stand out (might be someone else you'd never think of as well) but in the end, who gives a crap, bible is a good story and nothing else, it's all fictional, same goes for Muslim book, same goes for Jewish book and every other religious book out there, it's just a good read, nothing else. Like, I could make a religion out of Batman movies tbh, or superman. They have good and evil, super powers that no one ever seen in real life and it's all built around some secret. But what makes a difference between the movie called Bible and movie called Batman is a fact that some of you actually believe in God and all that comes with it in those religious books. I mean in Batman movie you can sympathize Joker, hell you can actually be a type who generally likes villains in those movies, but if you per say, sympathized with Lucifer than you'd be BAD just 'cause religion is real and batman movie is not :D but it's all the same crap in the end trust me. If Batman movie was a first millenium (after Christ) thing and was enforced greatly by institutions like Catholic church and it's inquisition that would make everyone s--t themself by just thinking different than the church that Batman thing would be as powerful in your mind today as Christianity is! Don't get me wrong, I respect everyone's opinion and belief, but I've to state mine out. First part of it was about people being scared of the fact that SOAD might as well be on the "evil" train and 2nd is my general opinion on religions. Take care and have a nice day. Oh and btw, Lucifer didn't betray God.. =)Lord Of Light - Los Angeles, Ca

Chop Suey = chopping up powder drugs, like heroin, to prepare to use them . Also, the funeral prayer: (the circle of life)From ashes to ashes, dust to dust = the drug user's life, and the resulting death after cremation, are in pieces. "Wake up" = the only time the drug user feels awake and alive is when he's on drugs. "Makeup" = cosmetics = powder products = drugs in powder form. "Hide the scars" = Hide his pain by doing drugs to be in denial of a drug addiction and life's situation(an addiction cycle). "Create another fable" = The altercation and abusive relationship situation which encircles the life of addicts...lies, lies, lies. "Shakeup" = the mental and physical come-down phase after intravenous drug use. The hangover makes him feel like he's been shaken up, thrown, and run over. "Keys" = tools = the items that are needed to get high (a spoon, a lighter, and syringe "turns on" his need to get his fix). "Self-righteous suicide" = A little more of his soul dies every time he uses drugs. It's a selfish act, but it makes him feel better. He kills his bodily health at the expense of his psyche/spirit. "Self-righteous" is a derogatory connotation, but his hoholier-than-thou attitude makes him feel invisible to the consequences of drugs. "angels deserve to die" = when something dies it turns to dust, therefore he is talking about angeldust = heroin. The repeating chorus represents the continuous cycle, again, the circle of life. "Father, father" = despite his unholy act of self-abuse, he feels closer to God while he is high. "Commend my spirit"= he is so high that he is having an outer-body experience, and he feels so free that he welcomes death. "I cry" is just a visual adjective for poetic enhancement for the reader to realize that when he slams heroin into his veins, the entire body relaxes and bodily fluids are emptied. "forsaken me" = he is in conflict and confusion with God: despair vs. hope, anger vs. forgiveness, betrayal vs. faithfulness, and the emptiness and fulfillness of drugs. Overall, this is a work of art that compares the cycle of drug addiction and the cycle of life; and revisiting what you have learned in literature class about internal and external conflicts (man vs. himself, man vs. nature, etc.). The weight of spiritual references emphasize the hypocrisy of religion, and each of us are Jesus in our own sacrilegious self-sacrificing ways. After all, we are human, and our inherent nature is to be selfish. Therefore, since we are not entirely and truly altruistic, Jesus's death should not be understood as act of heroism.Sabrina - Wichita, Ks

Clearly there are many interpretations regarding the meaning of this emotionally driven song with plenty of religious overtones. I would like to add another. I believe that SOAD is portraying a deeply depressed victim of pedophilia committed by a priest. The "shakeup" is the abuse.

The victim is attempting to cover up the emotional and physical scars from the abuse in the first part of the song while at the same time contemplating suicide to escape. He is leaving the "keys to Heaven" behind, knowing he will not be welcome there.

The angels are the priests. Plural because the victim recognizes that there are others committing the same crime, and all deserve to die.

The priest is mocking him by calling his outcries of the truth, fables.

In the second part of the song, "Father" represents both the priest as well as God, depending upon which line is being referenced. The victim recognizes there is no way out of his situation. He has been abandoned by his religion, and a "father figure". He prays, and prepares himself for his escape (suicide).Paul - Keene, Nh

To me, this song is talking about (and please don't hate me) somebody who is seriously depressed and possibly cutting, but hides it "put on a little make up, hide the scars to fade away the shake up" i think is talking about hiding everyday problems and basically wearing a mask around other people, and like i said, possible scars from cutting. "There you go, create another fable" I think is either about telling people stories to hide the reason behind the scars or scrapes (like "Oh, i accidently fell" or "I accidently cut myself doing dishes" to pass off injury as accidents) or lieing about how you feel inside. Then "I don't think you trust in my self righteous suicide" is how people won't understand why the speaker killed themselves because they seemed so happy on the outside. Then the "Father why have you forsaken me" is i think the speaker being angry at their higher power because of the life they were given. thats my interpretation anyways. I can really relate to this song in this way.Shirouu - Paducah, Ky

and dont rely on jesus to be your life guide. cause youll never know the real him.Sup Dogg - Portland, Bangladesh

also your one of the douchiest christian hipsters ive ever heard. "I do, however strongly dislike the way that people get sucked in so easily to the latest trend" quit pissing on your mirror and gtfo. congratualtions you have no idea how much you pissed me off this morning.Sup Dogg - Portland, Bangladesh

i think paul should stop calling all the kettles black. he says we blindly follow soads philosophies when he himself follows the most hypocritiacal religion to tarnish our earth. also americas government sucks and they probably dont give a f--k about the capitalistic part of being a famous band. they never got butthurt like metallica, they even named one of their albums "steal this album". they have never tried to force anything down anyones throat like your 2000 year old book of lies. why dont you pull the tape worm out of your ass!

HAIL SAGAN!Sup Dogg - Portland, Bangladesh

Here is my take.....the first part is clearly "modern" because of makeup. I think it's about a kid who sees hypocracy in his Mom waking up every Sunday to go to Church. He is asking himself why Mom gets up and puts on makeup to hide the scars of being abused from her husband/boyfriend (shakeup). She leaves the keys on the table b/c unconsciously she doesn't want to go b/c she is reaching for help from a God she doesn't really know or believe in. Then God/Jesus tells her (in the second part of the song).....I don't think you (mom) fully trust in my suicide. I think he is trying to explain that she doesn't fully know Jesus and what he did for her.Daniel - Jonsonville, Ar

anyone can check out Neon Genesis Evangellion to see that its so simple and none of these theories that I read before make any sence. :P Sorry for spoilling it for you all :)George - Athens, Greece

The Whole story is from the multy episode Japanese Anime Neon Genesis Evangelion. Its a futuristic aproach of the Bible and the whole Jesus - God - Religion, as we see the story of o father(God) who is tryign to save the world from some out of space invadors that are named Angels. The story tells that only kids that are born in a certain date can use the robots that his Company create to fight the Angels and one of them is his son that everytime is on the line to lose his life for the worlds savor.(Jesus). Shinji is always crying when he kills the angels ( i cry when angels deserve to die) Misato a woman who is his protege is wearing make up to covre an old scar which reminds her a old accident (Grab a brush and put a little makeup Hide the scars to fade away the shake up) when she left the keys on the front door table a big inciddent happened, i wont spoil the plot (Why'd you leave the keys up on the table? Here you go create another fable) and the whole forshakening between father and son is the thoughts of Shinji cause his father left him when he was a baby. I personally bleGeorge - Athens, Greece

Here is my take or opinion on SOADsong Chop Suey. I belive Serj wrote this song to express his dismay on Christiantiy. We are all sinners and fall short of the Grace of God therefore we need the grace of Jesus to enter Heaven. Jesus knew he was going to die and had to endure punishment for our sins. He became a blood sacrafice for the world and in his last moments he cries out Eloi Eloi lama sabachthani meaning in english Father, Why have you forsaken me? Imagine being pure with no blemishies perfect and the Son of God, You have to die when Angels (those that have fallen) deserve to die and eradicated Sin Where it began instead you send your Perfect Son to become a sacarfice for those have turned from you and the Ten Commandments so you become their curse yet His last words "Father into your hands I commend my spirit" defines where He goes into Hell to profess the gospel to those who were dead and in Hell. The last of the song gives explanation as to why it is another fable Suicide is a sin which is only forgiveable if it was Jesus so they are stating their angerSamuel - Jacksonville, Fl

I haven't put too much thought into the first part of this song yet, but I believe the second part is mocking Jesus (which would make sense as to why Daron told the public that the song was about how people view death, if he told everyone the song was mocking Christianity, well, that just wouldn't be too smart). "Self-righteous suicide" is Jesus's not giving himself up for us, but giving himself up to bring us closer to Armageddon and thus Satan's demise, which doesn't serve the people's purpose, but God's (which is still "self righteous", God and Jesus (and the Holy Spirit) are the same person in the Trinity). When he says, "I, cry, when angels deserve to die" SOAD emphasizes "I" because Jesus is essentially telling the people, "I don't think you're sad enough. Look at me; I'm devastated that a pure angel such as myself must be put to death." Then, SOAD juxtaposes “Father into your hands I commend my spirit” and “Father into your hands why have you forsaken me?” to show that Jesus did exactly what he wanted to, but acted to draw sympathy in front of others (basically, Jesus essentially gave his spirit back to his Father willingly at first, but then on the cross, in front of humans, cried out ostentatiously when he knew what was happening and that his Father had not forsaken him). SOAD is trying to convey that Jesus duped us in order to get what he wanted. So far, what I’ve gathered about the first part is “Wake up!” and “Grab a brush and put on a little makeup” is probably God putting on a guise (Jesus) in order to come to Earth to bring us closer to Armageddon and thus Satan’s demise. “Why’d you leave the keys up on the table?” might be asking why did they leave us the keys to heaven, if they don’t even care about us? And “Here you go create another fable” refers to the lie, or fable, that he created in Jesus. I’m almost one-hundred percent sure that what I interpreted about the second part is right; it all fits. The first part, I’m pretty sure, but it’s rather shaky.Richard - Fort Lauderdale, Fl

Scott from Yankton, if you are a follower of the beast then how can you doubt the existence of Jesus? Even the demons believe in God (James 2:19). And they knew Jesus was the son of God (Mark 1:24, Luke 4:34). How can you believe Jesus' death was a sacrifice if you don't believe he was who he said he was? If he wasn't who he said he was, then he didn't have the power to lay down his life, and his death was therefore a murder of an innocent (if deluded) man, not a sacrifice. As to being self righteous, Jesus even said that if he glorified himself, it would mean nothing, but that it was his father in heaven that glorifies him. (John 8:54) As to the Bible being full of bullsâ€”t, you contradicted yourself more times in your little post than the entire bible does. Jesus quoted Psalm 22 which accurately predicts the manner of his death when he said "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46). If you have studied the bible as much as you say you have, and still don't understand, look at your self. "They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people. (Ezekial 12:2) How can you see the truth of the bible if your mind is full of lies? You say that while you were a bible thumper you were afraid of SOAD. SOAD is a great band, and yes they are intense, and yes Serj looks like King Nebuchadnezzar incarnate, but if you truly love God, you will fear nothing but him. As to the meaning of this song, I bet SOAD is laughing about how many interpretations there are, but you are right about two things, they are brilliant song writers and incredible musicians.Trent - Okinawa, Japan

Paul -

You tell people to think critically about bands and what 'crap' they spit out, yet you study the bible and take it for every word? Talk about being brainwashed...

I do agree with you on the fact that we (especially the Western world) are cattle when it comes to trends and hypes, and developing an open-minded attitude. That's EXACTLY why we (and, foremost, me) hang on to this band so much. Have you ever studied their lyrics? Seen them live? Read any of their quotes? These guys are the Prophets of this age. They are waaaaaay underrated, and I bet your pitiful little mind won't be able to grasp what the hell I'm talking about...

Also, about them 'reaping the benefits of our capitalistic, free enterprise economy, which has made them very wealthy'... They're a band. Of course they make money. These guys don't do it for the sake of getting their bucks or fame. You know that Serj's newest album(due 21th of september), was postponed by 2 weeks because the company that produced the covers ran out of tree-free paper? Or that he founded Serjical Strike Records, a label which promotes bands that may not otherwise be signed to a label?Aloysius - Fdf, Aruba

I feel as though part of this song was truly to make music for the sake of music. Chop suey translates from Chinese to, "to cut up" into many pieces and the song has many bits and pieces, like going from slow to fast and singing to screaming and such.

Another thing, I did not feel as thought this was about drug addiction... I didn't get that vibe at all until I read what was posted.

I felt like he was saying he felt abused and tired and wanted to end his life and was asking why all of these bad things were happening. "Why'd you leave the keys up on the table," sounds like he's exhausted and forgot his keys. "Why have you forsaken me?" Why are all of these horrible things happening to me and why is my life down the drain? "Trust in my self righteous suicide." Just let me kill myself, I know what I'm doing by this and I think it's worth it.Stella - Beverly Hills, Ca

Perhaps they used Jesus' words for the same reason so many other artists do? Christians and non-Christians alike are affected powerfully by his words. You may notice almost this entire thread focuses on just a few lines of 3:30 min. song. BTW i'm Christian & love SOAD, but still turn the stereo off when I get near the church parking lot, just in case. :)Pinkisntwell - Baltimore, Md

I Love this song for all of you all that are just here Hate'ing your just making one of the best bands look bad so screw you all any way if any of you all love S.O.A.D feel free to message me just ask for the E-mail ;) bye pplKathy - Mission, Tx

this is about one of the guys brothers who was gay and his parents didnt accept him, treated him like a leper so he killed himself in front of them, a self righteous suicideZack - C Springs, Fl

Ok, guys, first of all i would like to say that when Jesus said "why have you forsaken me?" he was reffering to a Psalm, cant remember which one, but look for it. This Psalm actually ends out being happy, He wasnt doubting God, as was expressed in the psalmKevin - Mobile, Al

I believe (if i heard right) that the name of the song was suspost to be "i cry when angles desirve to die" but this song came out about a week after 9/11 and producer said it was offence so they were all eating chop suey there for thats how they got the new name? Just a guess (:Carly - St.charles, Mo

wow i never knew all these. i just fell in love with the song, the band and their other songs. they're just sooo good! yeah, i could call their music "aggressive". but funny how "chopsuey" is supposed to be about death--when i feel really pumped up and feeling "strong" whenever i hear it (or other SoaD songs).Joycemorrison - Ph

Actually, sorry to let you down, Daron has on numerous occasions claimed to believe in God, the band has many songs that positively view religion (with specific examples of Christianity), and unlike many metal bands, they do not have any obviously atheistic or anti-Christian lyrics. See Question!, Innervision, Forest, Science. Look up interviews with System members (specifically Daron), and note that Armenia is a primarily Christian nation. It was a good thought on your part, but a hammer views all its problems as nails, so being anti-Christian yourself, I can see where you would prefer them to see the same way.Ian - Chilli, Oh

After I put in my other posting, I saw the one from Steve in Toronto, Canada, and he definitely noticed the things about the song I noticed, plus more. I had no idea that someone in the song says "Eloi, Eloi lama sebachthani?". That is not far off from what I was saying about the band and the song, but I had no idea that line was in the song. But, actually, it's....(to use a close phonetic spelling) "Aylee, Aylee, le mana sebach tah nee." But all that stuff depends on dialects, approximations in transliterations and other crapola that doesn't really matter. I just felt the need to put my 2 cents in since I can. I figure I might as well get something worthwhile out of the pointless years I wasted learning how to read the torah in hebrew. WOO HOO! exciting stuff! (and it means "my god, my god, why have you forsaken me?) So, if Jesus was the embodiment of God, then why did he pray to God???? Oh well, I talk to myself sometimes, too.Scott - Yankton, Sd

Because of the severe ferocity of this song, I always thought it was an anti-christian song. I WAS a hardcore bible thumper. And, through my searching the bible and studying history in search of the truth, I found the truth where I didn't expect to find it. I realized the bible is full of bulls--t. Anyways, I, as a christian was quite freaked out by SOAD because they really seemed the embodiment of anti-christianity. But I really got into them, for the same reason recently, since I'm now one of them followers of the beast. (not to be confused with the beastie boys) Suddenly, the thought occurred to me today, randomly while I was at work: I wonder of "System of a Down" is a play on words, because the hebrew word "abbaddon" which is the biblical name for "The Destroyer" in the book of revelation is, in Hebrew, pronounced exactly the same as "of a down", so I thought maybe these guys are from the middle east, in which case they probably am more familiar than I am with this word. And, I thougt, after work I have to do some researching on this band. And if they were anti-christians, that would be a PERFECT name for them, and no one (except me) would ever know what their name really means. They could express an anti chrisian sentiment by naming themselves after an "EVIL ANGEL" and never lose any christian or pseudo-christian fans at all. Brilliant. I don't know if that has any basis in reality or not, but I knew nothing at all about the band because I was scared of them for so many years, being a jesus-crispy and all, but this evening i found out that I was right on one point, at least. Serj is from Lebanon. Right next to Israel. Chances are he's heard that word "abaddon" before. So, as i just keep rattling on and on, I also think some of these lyrics sound much like they are calling Jesus's fabled death a self-righteous suicide. and if that is correct I just wanted to say that is the most accurate, brilliant characterization of his death I've ever heard. If Jesus existed, that is. because he was by perfect definition, self-righteous, because he claimed to be God. And in that case, sacrificing himself was, in effect by definition, suicide. So now that I've been "re-reborn" instead of being afraid of the evil lyrics saying naughty things about Jeezus, I hope that they are anti-christian. If they aren't anti-christian, I'll just ignore it, because they are brilliant song writers and incredible musicians anyways. Aren't you glad I've run out of stuff to say?.....for now.Scott - Yankton, Sd

this is about Jesus and his "suicide" to free us from our sinsMick - Los Angeles, Ca

Suey-Cide? Come on...K - Baton Rouge, La

It might be just the scrambled remnents of my imagination, but I thought I heard somewhere that this was about Daron's brother who commited suicide? IdkBen - Ocean City, Nj

Ok now, ive been reading ur comments, some of you are right, and some or you are wrong. Yes, at the end of the song it has "fater in your hands i commend my spirt why have you forsaken me?" and yes Jesus did say that while he was dying on the cross, but as for the peopl who think that "hide the scars and fade away the shakup" and all the rest of the song has a religeous meaning you are wrong. S.O.A.D. has a lot of fans who are anti-cristian and when those ppl find out how religeous this song is, they may not like System anymore, i have had friends that have done that because of Chop Suey. Anyways, im sure that soad would not want to lose fanse like that but who am i to guess? they have made songs about there being big.Joe - El Paso, Tx

This song isn't worshiping God,but they aren't hating on God either. They're just using it as an example for the theme of the song. (I'm a Christian FYI)Justing - Orlando , Fl

Alright, the song starts off talking about a person who obviously has problems possibly with a drug addiction or other issues. The song talks about how the person wakes up long enough to leave and create another "fable". Whenever SOAD sings the lines "father into hands, I commend my spirit, father into your hands why have you forsaken me?" the song could possibly be talking about how the person feels that god has forsaken them and left them to die pretty much. "Forsaken" plays a major part in the song, because the word's likely meaning is that the person feels that god has left them. Now on another note, I have researched the song and it does have quotes from the bible, but the lines do not serve as biblical meanings. I am a christian, but I strongly disagree with the "Theory" that the song has a positive and biblical meaning.Larry - Little Rock, Ar

They are obviously rebelling against God. It seems like they are singing to God, and they are trying to persuade everyone who listens to this song to join them. THEY ARE NOT WORSHIPPING GOD! If you use Bible verses, you are either for God or against God. In this case - against Him.Kelby - Marshalltown, Ia

I alway thought this song was put into 2 parta. the Drug abuser with some one convicting him (why Did you leave the keys upon the table)

andb. the part where he accept Christianity (trust in my self-righteous suicide)Hunter - South West, Mi

Chop Suey! was nominated in 2002 for a Grammy in the Best Metal Performance Catagory. They lost to Tool's "Schism".Austin - Smallsville, New England

It seems like this song is leaning toward Jesus on the cross, but you never know. I think when Serj says "I cry, when angels deserveto die" is saying that Angels, even thought they are holy, derserve to die instead of a man who did not sin. I have no clue, but that is my opinion. Armenia is Chrsitian, and Lebanon is some Chrsitian and some Muslim. I don't car what religion they are, they aren't pastors, they are making music, and great music too. (I'm a Christian btw)Carrie - Pittsburgh, Pa

I think the faint words spoken before the song are "parolling suicide". I think this because, "self righteous suicide" is taking you own life, for your benifit. Like in some cultures, suicide bombing, is a gaurenteed way of getting into their "Heaven" so, they are being "parolled" for their suicide and get to get into "Heaven" therefor making it a "self righteous suicide". I'm not saying thats what the song is about, just saying that supports my thought on what he says before the song begins.Jesse - Seymour, In

if you guys don't understand!!, the song is obviously called Chop Suey because the chorus sounds like it says " i don't think you trust in my self fried chop suey" in stead of " my self righteous suicide"Dom - Croton - On - Hudson, Ny

who cares what its about its a awsum songZach - Paris, Il

Luke 23:46And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.,

But since I have done research, it does seem that chop suey has to do with a drug addiction because they're refering to someone dying from drugs andsaying the words Jesus said like it was God's fault for the death..I am an actual Christian though, I just hate how they use Jesus' words in this song like a toy.Jasmine - Seattle, Wa

Ok. We all know that Jesus said that stuff at the end of the song, so people may stop wasting internet space with those kind of comments. I do believe tho, that they arent referring to Jesus. They are referring to their own problems and how in the Ameranian genocide, the people felt abandoned and forsakened by their god, hence the lyrics, "Why have you forsakened me." When he says "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit" he is referring to how many Ameranian people trusted god and laid their spirits in his hands and how they were genocided in return. The reason I think this is because System of a Down started their band because of the genocide and they wanted to show people that genocide was wrong and maybe one way of insuring that the Americans are never genocided, is to never believe in god. IM A CHRISTIAN BY THE WAY. Thats just one theory.Will - Menlo Park, Ca

SOAD is a mixture of a lot of things just like Chop Suey the first time i heard it i interpreted it as a girl was getting abused and died from it (angels deserve to die ) but Jesus died for our sins ("in my self-rightious suicide ") when i first relized that the "i commend my spirit why have you forsaken me" part was from Jesus was when i saw The Passion Of The Christ ( terribly sad movie but it shows in depth how terrible people treated Jesus ) and i was like 'woah that part is in Chop Suey '!amazing work SOAD !Hannah - Statesville, Nc

I think that the song is about a child and his mom that have been abused into insanity by the husband/dad. "Why'd you leave the keys up on the table" suggests that the dad might have left. All of the childs life he must of thought that his dad was a good guy, and feels sorry for him.Selig - Illinois, Il

okie dokie, i think the song might be about God saying why are you trying to cover him up; (get that from "Grab a brush and put a little makeup, you wanted to")and making up stories or just guessing at them when people dont read it in the bible. ("Here you go create another fable")

Then i think God is saying that he doesnt think we trust in Him to save us. ("I don't think you trust in, my, self righteous suicide")God then is saying, he hates to see his son die ("I cry when angels deserve to die")

In Luke 23:16 it says, "Jesus called out with a loud voice, 'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.' When he had said this, he breathed his last."

Okay, people need to start speaking the bible in "english", so more people will be able to understand...:

Basically, when Jesus went on the cross to die, all of man's sin was placed upon him. God cannot look upon sin, so he had to look away from his son, Jesus. Jesus was freaking out cause he knew how we felt with sin, so he understands..thats why he loves us so much. when he said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" is when he was asking God to save him, and God did.

you dont have to agree with me, just consider my thoughts, please dont be upset if you dont like what i said:]Jessi - Puyallup, Wa

i just found something hidden in this song. at around 1:27-1:29. turn it up real loud and listen carefully. after serj says "wake up grab a brush and put a little makeup". if you listen carefully you can hear him say 9/11. im serious i did it before.Alec - Lemont Furnace, Pa

I have heard that it is based in part on a poem written by an Armenian priest during the Armenian Genocide, which would explain the references to the words of Jesus dying on the cross at the end. Many Holocaust survivors of WWII felt like they were abandoned by their God and many became atheists because of it. I can totally understand this. I am sure the Armenians felt the same way in the early 20th Century. This songs is, IMHO, one of the best rock songs ever written, and is without a doubt the best song written inn the modern rock era. The final chorus is the best 20 seconds in rock, as far as I am concerned.m Then harmonies and the melody line are amazing and the bass and guitars are loud and brutal. The bell like piano line over the top is a great touch. Every time I listen to the song on my itues, I replay the ending from the 2:11 point to the end five or six times. Awesome song!Ralph - Houston, Tx

i might be wrong but isnt this song about genicide?Rhys - Gold Coast, Australia

Paul has a point. I also try to not be sucked into all the garbage that comes with liking an extremely popular band. Don't get me wrong, I love System of A Down's music, but Paul is very right about the opinions of bands not being right. Anyway, I think that the arguing has gone on long enough, can't we all just try to get along and accept that some poeple are not going to kiss your ass and say everything that you want to hear? (Please ignore my ranting posts on other pages complaining about people agruing and spamming up the site. I'm in therapy for my anger, now. I'm all better) ~~Ta~~Z - Somewhere Over The Rainbow, Wa

This is my theory, but I may be wrong because there are a lot of good ideas here. First off, I believe there are two different scenarios going on, each having to do with suicide or sacrifice. There is the verse, which I believe is a woman that is being abused by her husband, "Wake up(wake up)Grab a brush and put on a little make upHide the scars to fade away the shakeup". During the chorus, when he says, "I don't think you trust,in, my, self righteous suicide" this means that some don't believe in what she's sacrificing. In this case, shes sacrificing her physical self because she made a sacred vow of marriage. Her husband is an angel to her so she cries when her "angel" deserves to die for the things he has done. As we all know by now "Father, Father, Father, Father, Father/ Into your hands/I/commend my spirit, father, into your hands" followed by, "Why have you forsaken me, In your eyes forsaken me, in your thoughts forsaken me, in your heart forsaken, me oh" are the last words spoken by Jesus before he sacrificed himself. These are two instances of suicide, one of the emotional self (wife) and of the physical and spiritual self (Jesus). We look at the wife and say that she is weak for not standing up to her abuser or not telling anyone but we look at Jesus's sacrifice and thank him for it. It all has to do with perspective. In a larger scope, i believe soad compares this with muslims. As a society, we think they are evil and thats why they use the lines, "Why have you forsaken me, In your eyes forsaken me, in your thoughts forsaken me, in your heart forsaken, me oh" because we already have forsaken them as a whole. We have branded them as evil. I believe the the real reason why they banned the song from radio after 9/11 is because it showed sympathy for muslims. This is wrong because there is nothing wrong with muslims. Only a select few are terrorists and were involved.Steve - Bridgeville, Pa

Why must everyone get drugs out of EVERY song? -.-Joshua - Niagara Falls, Ny

this song has nothing to do with drugs it is about suicide hence why the title was called suicide but they are talking about people killing themselves because of their faith or government like the monks that killed themselves because of their government and charles manson telling all those people to kill themselvesChristian - Red Lion, Pa

This song was written when the lead singers best friend was killed in a car accident and he wanted to know why good people had to die when there were so many evil people out there that should instead and why god could'nt take him instead.Keith - Spokane, Wa

I love this song the beat the every thing but hte things said just makes me not listen to it because its just too much. first of all your never suppose to commit any type of suicide. and angels never deserve to die that is so wrong its not even funny @_@Shantae - East Hartford, Ct

I've been into System for awhile, but this song makes me think of my cousin's wedding because that's where I first heard it. (Not a typical wedding song, I know, but it just shows how energetic SOAD songs can be)I like the beat of this song, but I actually feel that the lyrics to the chorus are trying too hard. Usually their lyrics sound so natural, whether their dark or not, but these sound like they're trying so hard to be dark, it's almost not like them. just a thought.Nicole - Chicago, Il

This song is about Chess Pie and how awesome it is. You might be asking yourself, "where the hell did he come up with that?" If I think it's about chess pie, then that's what it's about. I can interpret this song anyway I want.Austin - Bowling Green, Ky

I love this song it just rocks keep on!!!!!!!!!!!Angela - Cartersville, Ga

Peeps, the fourth comment from the bottom by Steven seems very accurate to me!Joey - Rabbidtown, In

one of system's top ten, but aerials is the better single off of toxicity.Marcus - Richmond, Va

This song rocks, the lyrics are geniusErik - Knoxville, Tn

I know this for a fact.Only System of a Down is the appropriate interpreter of this song."Chop Suey" is far too complex for unknowledgeable debate (not to say that all comments were unknowledgeable but some were).Jurry - Denton, Tx

One of the easiest things you can say about a song meaning is that it is about "drugs." To me, this song has nothing about drugs or anything that simple. I have thought up several meanings, but my favorite and most relevant is about Christianity as a whole. Although they are not Christians, this song is not insulting to said religion, so don't think that SOAD hate them or anything. Anyway, the verse is mainly about the Catholic church, how they cover up every bad thing and try to act like they are sinless, even though they have done horrible things and try to "put makeup on" all of these things. The whole "leave the keys upon the table" could also be interpreted as "up on", and is about as simple as the Catholics say that they are the way to righteousness while they leave the true way to spiritual peace up where none can have it. The chorus is all about what could be few things, the first being how Catholics say that suicides are damned to hell and that perhaps the suicide is really just doing what he/she believes is best for his/herself. This could also be coupled with or see alone as Jesus technically commited suicide by giving himself up to the people who would kill him, and how he knew this was good for the world, and that teh suicide-ees might thing the same thing. The whole "father, why have you forsaken me," is an excerpt from the Bible where Jesus is being crucified. This could be seen as a suicide asking why he is going to hell for killing himself OR as God mourning because the people of earth either think he is something to be feared and that will supposedly come down to earth and turn it into hell, or that the other religions or athiests hate him and think that he hates them. This shows that even if SOAD aren't Christians then they respect God.Cole - That One Place, Wi

Paul, You can't force your ideas or thoughts on anyone. And you can't tell people something they care for is worthless and weak. You wouldn't like it if someone told you that your God was weak would you?Chip - Clarksburg, Wv

Well put Liz. Also, adding the s.o.a.d. background, they are an armenian band who moved to LA. Some or all band members parents were in the Armenian holocaust. Another song, BYOB refers to this cryptically in its lyrics.Dan - Mexico, Mo

The lyrics are "When angels deserve to die" which is referring to when people trying to spread the word of God die. And it also says "Father into your hands, I command my spirit." Which is Jesus crying out to God telling him to except him to HeavenMatthew - Childress, Tx

The does seem to have some ties to Jesus' Death. Although I didn't know that S.O.A.D. was Christian friendly. They throw alot of mixed messages and I guess the only way to decipher them is to sit down with Serj, or Daron and ask them directly... maybe someday lol.Ian - Larksville, Pa

I do agree with you on the fact that someone shouldnt just believe whats said,paul,and trust me im against anything that everyone loves for a while then puts it to the side(which in my eyes is a trend)but s.o.a.d is a band,there supposed to spew garbage at you,but at least its honest garbage,its the governments garbage and they are trying to show you the stuff we throw away so everything will just be "hunky dorey".the fact is there were people out there with this philosiphy before s.o.a.d even existed,they just found something that would agree with their views and excepted them,and if you think they are rarily right go look around,youll find out differently.Brad - Knoxville, Tn

I don't hate soad. I do, however strongly dislike the way that people get sucked in so easily to the latest trend or new band, and automatically adopt/adapt to their philosophies, without thinking about it.Paul - California, Sd

People, I am just trying to get you to think critically about stuff. Bands like soad love to get up on a soapbox and spew their garbage on anyone who will listen. I'm just saying don't be so gullable, and easily brainwashed. Their view/opinion on things isn't always right. In fact it is rarely right.Paul - California, Sd

I hate to get off subject here . . . but kiwi has a point,if you hate the band that much why do you even waste your freakin time commenting on them ? bands i hate arent even worthy of my time,if u hate them so much you sure are giving them alot of attention,even if its hated attention its still good attention.>;)Brad - Knoxville, Tn

Kiwi, If you'll notice, right below the bigger post is a smaller one, saying that I misused the word. For some reason, when I posted them back to back, the smaller one went underneath the bigger one, out of chronological order. Again, freedom of speech gives me the right to post whatever I wish, including negativity. I am just trying to get people think critically.(which the media and public school system have seemed to all but eliminate) To not be brainwashed, and to not have their morality molded by a bunch of so-called "informed" guys with nothing better to do than watch the news, or read the paper, contort an article, or news item and turn it into a song. The only reason they do well at all is because they have an automatic audience with people submersed in their empty lives. And, by default, the same people, think soad's vocalized garbage is going to fill them.Paul - California, Sd

...Wow. You can talk when you know how to spell the word "weak"...and no, system of a down is NOT weak. They are actually pretty talented and if you don't think so, thats your problem. You don't have to be posting your negativity up on this site. So get it? Got it? Good. :]Kiwi - Brooklyn, Ny

Why does everyone get in such a tizzy over one guy's comments? You people are so easily shaken! why is that? Oh, wait, I know. It's because the band your defending is week. And when the cause(in this case soad) your defending is week, then so becomes your logic and your arguments. Then, by process of elimination, your comments are to. By the way, kiwi, I do have the right to freedom of speech, or has soad skeewed that for you to? And nick, the first part of your explaination could be right, but the latter part sounds like you pulled something out of the air thought about it for, like, .5 seconds, decided it sounded cool, and posted it....way off dude.Paul - California, Sd

Paul...Okay. We get it. You are not a fan of SOAD's music. Well you don't have to be commenting everybody else's comments saying they are wrong just because YOU don't like the song... kay? Because some people actually really like this song like me for instance... So why don't you just keep your big mouth shut? kay? thanks :]Kiwi - Brooklyn, Ny

Right, lesson time... The verses are a bit closer to home, "wake up, grab a brush and put on a little make up, hide the scars to fade away the shake up." This describes domestic abuse that alot of people have to deal with on their own, they get up every morning and put on make up to hide the results of what has happened the night before, the rest of the verse is when that person has had enough and decide to take their own life, ("here we go create another fable") another teen suicide story in the papers about domestic abuse. The deep religious side- people believe that everyone has a guardian angel and when a human takes their own life it is believed that their angel hasn't done its job in looking after the person and therefore the angel goes to hell. It is believed that satan was the first angel this happened to ("father into your hands, why have you forsaken me?"). and people on their last resort ("I cry, when angels deserve to die"). There it is in a nutshell.Nick - Birmingham, Canada

Dingleberry, is that nickname based on the part of your body that you think with the most?..What's the matter, did I offend you by attacking your idols? Really if your to immature to have an intelligent conversation about soad, the Bible, or God, then just say so. Don't resort to petty blogs, that only show your childishness.By the way, I'm not an "over the top religious person". I just love God,and try to obey Him, and that includes upholding/defending His uncontradictory truth. I challenge you all to research God and His Word. What have you got to lose? Don't just rely on bands like soad to be a life guide....Cuz you'll never know the real them.Paul - California, Sd

Paul Do us all a favor and Die in a car fire, Just because your an over the top religious person dosn't mean you know everything that happened and dosn't mean there wasnt contradictionsDingleberry - San Jose, Ca

To Oreatha: The Bible dosen't contain any contradictions. If you took the time to study it, and ask godly people to help explain things in context, you would know this. Please research and think before you post; don't just regurgitate someone else's opinion.Paul - California, Sd

If, by chance I am entirely incorrect, I give every single soul living now the right to beat me until my ears bleed. I always thought this song resembled the contradictions that the Bible contains.Oreatha - Westville, Nj

When they are yelling Father and also when they say y have u forsaken me they are reffering to Jesus yelling to god on the cross " Why have you forsaken me Father?" but im not sure wut it has to do with the rest of the songJohn Walton - Davenport, Ia

Just because they quote from the Bible, dosen't mean they read it, nor try to live by it. Think, people, Think....Don't be fooled by theses posers.Paul - California, Sd

You know, it's AMAZING how a song a song written by a bunch of averagely talented "song" writters bring arm-chair theologians out of the wood work!This particular song, like alltheir oothers is either about nothing or many something stupid(s), that the band has experienced and decided to put a bunch of gibberish on a piece of paper, and call it a song. Remember, people, on this album in the liner notes they thank Jesus, allah, buddha, and satan for inspiration, which means that they have no particular belief, which means they, albeit, not overtly, worship satan in some capacity. If your not for Christ your against Him. Also, soad makes me sick in the way they talk smack on America, yet reap the benefits of our capitalistic, free enterprise economy, which has made them very wealthy. I wouldn't be surprised if, in fact, these guys have started a sleeper cell somewhere, and support terrorism with their wealth.Paul - California, Sd

the line "Father, why have you forsaken me" comes from where Jesus said on the cross "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which means "Father, Father, why have you forsaken me?".Achory - Warner Robins, Ga

i did a research paper on this song a couple years ago and the song is about the armeinian genocide when the germans and the turks killed 1000s an 1000s of innocent armenians i dont feel like explaining it but look it up on google armenia is a christian country so its not discracing jesusNathaniel - Richmond, Va

the man who wrote the song ,i think,was mad at the christian religion,reasons are multiple.he could have had a friend who claimed to be christian but he was a hypocrite,he could have been mad at the christian because one or both of his parents died.the reasons go on and on.Brad - Knoxville, Tn

This is an extremely interesting song, in which the complete meaning may only be uncovered by asking the writers. Allow me to start by saying that I do not believe the song is speaking out against Jesus, but merely pointing at the event itself, concerning what was said by Jesus and what is generally believed. Selfrighteous means what seems right in ones own eyes, it does not have negative connotations. Jesus was the sin offering for all humans, and he believed what he was doing was right. On the other hand according to Jewish law (not Roman) Jesus was found guilty and was to be punished by death on the cross. "Trust in my selfrighteous suicide" is pretty self explanatory, Jesus is talking to people asking why they do not trust in him. I do not think the angel refers to soley Lucifer. First of all it is angelS, implying more then one. It is said that Jesus had the power to summon forth 10,000 angels. At the time of his death he called have called these angels to destroy not only the world, but Lucifer and the 1/3 of the angels he took with him when he fell from heaven. Thus "angelS deserve to die." "Father into your hands I command my spirit" means that Jesus gave himself to God. As for the "why have you forsaken me?" I believe forsaken simply mean left, God was not with Jesus at that time on the Cross. Ideally if Jesus God and the Holy spirit are one, if Jesus dies...then there is no Holy Trinity, therefore perhaps God leaves (or forsakes)Jesus at the time of his death.Mude - Stoughton, Ma

Um, hello, the "self-righteous suicide" is refering to the Biblical story of Jesus and the cross. I would think SOAD considers it a self righteous suicide because Jesus did not have to die, and if He were God, he could have stopped the death at anytime in the process; therefore, it was suicide in their eyes. I think this song is one of the most powerful questionings of the contradictions in the Bible art has produced. Obviously this song deals with the questioning of sufferring (as well as mundane hopelessness) in the world under the presence of a "loving" God. Interesting, still is that their reference point assumes Jesus was God since they refer to His death as suicide. I am surprised no one has mentioned this yet.Cecily - Redding, Ca

When Jesus was dying upon the cross he took the sins and unrighitousness(sp) of our sins upon himself, the sins of his "sheep" died upon the cross with him. The sin of the "sheep" were imputed to him. So much that God had forsaken him due to all the sin, just as it was planned.Roonie - Huntington, Wv

Let me phrase that differntly.... Jesus's last words were "Father, Why have you foresaken me?", which leads me to belive that jesus felt some sort of unjustice/resentment/confusion, etc. mabe god didnt hate jesus, but jesus hed some kind of mixed fellings about him there, why else would he have spoken those words? That could be considorded "the shake up".Petrified Monkey - Citysville, Al

Wow the petrified Monkey is soooo wrong. It could be about Jesus, but God NEVER hated Jesus. I think It's saying two things: Jesus being crucified, and someone commiting suicide. Why? I don't know. That's why it's "Chop Suey." Everything's mixed up in ONE. Get It?Blake - Hamilton, Oh

I believe this song is about war.. as usual. i love Systems point of veiw about everything. the point in this song is the same point in Systems "Tentative" is that they are sad and upset when pple who have done nothing wrong... innocent bystandards get killed because of bombs that they had nothing to do with. hence-"i cry when angels deserve to die"Kristin Hansen - Bryan, Oh

Its one of my favorite Songs of SoaD, and i need to say: it let me think XD ooooe scary :P but i red alot of interesting things about it, about jesus, i believe its true that the song is 'bout jesus, but SoaD gives to some songs more explenations (do i spell it right? XD:S ;)) so it can be about a child, a little kid, mothers angel, or about the poem Father Armeni, but SoaD wright another song about the genocuide, P.L.U.C.K so.... and i agree with Raven (12 from the bottom) I care more about the fact what it means to me than to the singer :) and idd, the cover of Avril sounds likes she's dying, or worse XD DAAMN ugly, :P btw about the line, father why have u forsaken me, Daron looks on Rock am Ring 2002 to the sky when he screems it whit serj, only, u dont hear daron cuz he doesnt do it in the Microphone XD heh elol, yes ppl here talks a SoaDfan

Ahmen ;) (long story)Robin Van Zanten - Tuk, Netherlands

I think its about - the guitarist brother died by commiting suciede...and the song is writtin as if he were the brother. The bro has scars (he hides it with makeup-like the songs says)Kim - Manchester, England

When they say,"Angels deserve to die," I think they are refering to Lucifer and when they talk they sing that Father part I feel they are talking about the last words Jesus had said before he had died.For the keys upon the table and the make-up stuff I have no idea what the demon possesed lozers are talking about. Cool song, crazy words, crazy people.Leea - P.a., Pa

the band was formed at an Armenian Christian school in LA though!Dodo - Middelburg, South Africa

the song seems to me to be a disconnected mumbo-jumbo.....one line talks bout jesus,the crcufixon while another talks about drug abuse..what is the intention of the writer, wats he tryin to drive home..honestly, it doesnt make ne sense, though i enjoy the song when i play it.....Chaitanya - Hyderabad, India

"In an interview, Daron Malakian is quoted to have said: "The song is about how when people die, they will be regarded differently depending on the way they pass. Like, if I were to die from a drugs overdose, everyone would say I deserved it because I abused drugs, hence the line 'Angels deserve to die'." While another theory suggests that the songs lyrics refer to the sacrifice of Jesus of Nazareth and imply that it was of no relevancy and so is faith in it hence the words "Trust in my self righteous suicide" and suggest that Jesus expected a flock of angels to come down from heaven and take his place hence "I cry when angels deserve to die" and "...why have you forsaken me?" although there is no evidence in any of the gospels that Jesus actually believed this." - Wikipedia

And there you have it.Destroythespineless - Columbus, Oh

1. where exactly does he say "we're rolling suicide" ?

2. it wasn't about 9/11 because toxicity was released on 9/04/01.

3. the guitarist (daron malakian) doesn't have a brother and never did. so it couldn't have been about his brother committing suicide.Callan - Slymar, Ca

CONCLUSION: This songs meaning is very deep.Im sure that the deriction I took it in with jesus was not Malakians original intent. I geuss this song is deeper that I can follow. I only hope that System contiues writeing such amazing songs.Petrified Monkey - South Park, Co

THEORY #2: Look at Jasons post. its the 7th one from the bottom.Petrified Monkey - South Park, Co

THEORY #1:In the Bible it says that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirt are all the same.Thus the son dieing to promot the father could be considired a self-rightous suicide. The "I Cry When..." part is Jesus on being tortured by the romans and saying to himself "I cry when Angels(Lucifer)((The Devil)) desirve to die. Ok heres the complicated part "Hide the scars to fade away the shake up" Now when jesus was on the cross he took on himself the sins of the entire world of all of time. That means he took the sins of Hittler, Charles Manson.. you get the idea. So when he was up there he practicly became sin. Now if theirs one thing god hates its sin, so at that moment God hated Jesus(The Shake Up). When they took him down from the cross they covered him in myhr wich is like make up.(hyde the scars to fade away the shake up)I reasherced for days to try and explain the "Keys Upon The Table" line.. with out avail. Mabe theirs something were all missing, or mabe jesus isnt what the song is about after allPetrified Monkey - South Park, Co

The actual song meaning is really confusing,but I think its about the poor people in New York.Oh and for those people who though that S.O.A.D is anti-christ because of this line "I Cry,When angels deserve to die.",its talking about Lucifer,one of Gods angel that turned to Satan,so its not talking about good angels,Ok

System rocksSuicidal Kamikazee - Sydney, Australia

This song is about the Armenian Genocide, as has been stated repeatedly. To clarify the beginning: it denotes an abusive relationship and the resulting cover-up, but that is a metaphor for the voluntary blindness the world shows toward the genocide of old. It is a verbal attack on those who pretend everything is okay when it isn't.Credible - Jacksonville, Fl

you are all very very very naive, blind, and not really good outside the box thinkers! System of a Down may be armenian, but they do not go so far as to write a song that can only apply to the armenian genocide. This song taken literally is about the armenian genocide, BUTTTTTT, if you think about the words "when angels deserve to die"-that fits with the Israeli situation. The self righteous suicide goes for the Palestinians, and the angels who "deserve" to die are the israelis.Mike - Akron, Oh

This song is all but a good message, it's mocking Christ and Jesus, and the idiotic people that think it has nothing to do with Jesus or the Devil...think again...I mean, it has the word "angel" and telling them to die, thats all you need to tell this song HAS something to do with it, and isn't a very positive one.Daniel - Suwanee, Ga

*What I say parts of this song represent do not reflect my views about Christianity* With that said, here's my take: Chop Suey (the food) is a mix of a whole bunch of things; therefore, there are supposed to be different meanings to different parts of this song. I'm going to focus on the last part. There are direct quotes from the Bible at the end of the song, including "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" (this is screamed out by the guitarist) which is Aramaic for "Father, Father, why have you forsaken me?" so, nobody can misinterpret where that came from. Anyway, S.O.A.D. is known for their activism messages in their lyrics. In many of their songs, they focus on the Western world (Canada, U.S., Western Europe, etc.) and the problems that come from various dominant ideologies that are taught within it. One of the dominant ideologies in the West is Christianity...if the Bible is interpreted in the wrong way it can (and has) cause many problems. The Western world's moral fabric is primarily Christian in its origin, and God has been used many times (though wrongfully) to justify attrocities throughout history. With that said, the song outright criticizes Jesus Christ; it implies that the divinity of Christ is a 'fable' and that He believed in it so much that he had himself killed over it; hence 'self-righteous suicide' and 'I (Christ Himself) cry when angels deserve to die'...He saw himself as a divine figure (cf. 'angel') and mourned His own death...again because He was self-righteous. Plus He believed that He was the son of God, and he trusted in that; therefore He was self-righteous. Self-righteousness, and the "I'm number ONE" mentality that is so prevalent in the West, is derivative of a false - but popular - interpretation of Christianity which has caused many of the problems (capitalism, ethnocentrism, etc.) that S.O.A.D. often outline and speak out against in their lyrics. Therefore, part of this song is telling you to 'wake up', see the 'fable', and recognize the self-righteousness of it in order to fix the problems that it causes. So, yeah, that's what I think that part of the song is about...and no, I couldn't have made my post shorter.Steve - Toronto, Ont., Canada

this song is my hero. whenever i listen to music, this is the first song I listen to. does anyone ever realize that almost all the heavy rock groups are almost always have strong religious beliefs? I hate god he sucks. I don't care what every1 else thinks. THats y I'm an AMERICANMicheal Armstrong - Cairo, Egypt

This song is so wierd. It's really,.....wierd. And makes fun of christianity.Rebka - Crapville, Wy

From my point of view, this song is basically dedicated to the suicide attackers. The first paragraph is refered to the authorites either the bomb attack leader or the U.S government, describing how they are fake trying to cover up what they've done wrong and still giving fancy excuses (the one in the lyrics leave the keys on the table intentionally) to make people believe that they are the holy or the right one (in the name of god we blah blah blah).

In the 2nd paragraph is about the attacker, he believes what he does is righteous and sure the "angels" is talking about the innocent ones(perhaps the children suffer from the struggle of 2 authorities or any other weak ones).

In the last paragraph the attacker dies, he commend the spirit(the soul) to the heavnly father (or mother) however the god does not recognize cause it is not the right way to solve the problem (remember what jesus said? not "eye to eye, tooth to tooth").

That's what my 2cent anywayVonz - Mother, Taiwan

I think this song is cool ROCK ON SOADSarah - Sandiego, Ca

I think in the middle of the chop suey video,serj and fans are eating chop suey out of chinese food containers.and does anybody know what the name of the avril lavigne cover of the songSkyler - Santa Rosa, Ca

Avril Lavignes cover of this song is horrible. She cant scream, she cant sing, she just completely, killed the song. Shes lucky all the System Of A Down fans didnt chase her down.Anthony - Grafton, Canada

Man, this song just has bad acid trip written all over it.Max - Austin, Tx

The commonly thought definition of chop suey is a dish made of leftovers, that is prbly not strictly true but that is what most people, and probly SOAD reckon. Me thinks this song is about how Jesus covers up the stories in the bible, puts on a makeup to hide his scars and creates another fable. The chorus is saying that we should not trust in his willing suicide and that jesus's death was more like martyrdom, and there are many untold truths in the bible we dont know or dont want to know. Sorry if people think i'm blasphemous, i'm not though.Sam - Liverpool, England

I'm with Christian from Bremmer, Germany. I always figured it to show a different side to the suicide assassins. "Grab a brush and put on a little makeup" is a summary of "do your morning routine/preperations", "leave your keys upon the table" is saying to leave decoy items around, "Here you go, create another fable" is saying to create a cover story or a reason for your deed/attack.Then, he says "I don't think you trust in my self righteous suicide" is saying you don't believe what I do and call me crazy, "I cry when angels deserve to die" is saying that in order to create change, innocent people have to die (which is actually how it works in America) and he is crying because he doesn't really want to kill innocent people, but his mission won't succeed without that happening.The final segment is him crying out to God when he finally realizes the futility and errors of his ways after it's too late.To me, it shows a human side to the assassins and the thoughts a lot of them may have. Now, I'm not siding with the assassins, but I just feel this shows a human side to what the media portrays as otherwise.Thomas - Suisun City, Ca

You can tell through most of the Toxicity cd that someone in the band has issues with their dad. I think it's about their dad leaving and how the whole family took it.Fatal - Aurora, Co

Julie got it right. The band explained in another interview I read that, "I cry when angels deserve to die", has to do with the casual attitude some have when people die. So if a drug abuser dies because of their addiction some think they deserve to die. So he is crying that some have the view that the people in that condition are seen as "deserving to die". The other part I understand as well as having to do with the Armenian genocide. I really don't think there is anything about religion in the song except for the fact that the poet they quoted also quoted the Bible and how the Armenians were "forsaken".Mike - Santa Clara, Ca

Sounds like he is mad at God for all the abuse, and when he says i cry when angels deserve to die. The only angel that i could think of that deserves to die is the Devil, so he is sads that the devil has to die, and he is mocking jesus at the end because he is mad at him.Matt - Sylmar, Ca

This song is about the guitarists brother commiting suicide because of his fatheres abusive behavior. in the song he says "grab a brush to put a little makeup hide the scars to fade away the shakeup" which basically means hiding the scars from his dad beating him. and he cries when angels deserve to die because his brother was a good person but couldnt go on living. at the edn when he says "father into your hands i commend my spirit, father into your hands why have you forsaken me" this is referring to the abusive father. not godPeter - Tacoma, Wa

This is how I've twisted the lyrics to pertain to my life. WAKE UP Grab a brush and put on a little makeup refers to the daily routine many of us go through getting ready to face another day of doing something you don't want to do and being somebody you don't want to be in order to make ends meet or just get through whatever stage of life you're in. Hide the scars that fade away the shake up is talking about putting on a front to cover damage done to your soul by depression from living your life chasing the american dream new house, cars, good looks. You really just wish life was simpler but society is consumed by by idolizing the the "angels" (rich and beautiful)Why'd you leave the keys upon the table symbolizes you saying screw it that's enough you're just going to walk away from it all. Here you go create another fable is when you realize saying screw it isn't an option so you pick up the keys and here you go again. You wanted to, is what you want to do but you can't follow through because the show must go on. The chorus is talking about people not wanting to abandon the part of themselves that is trying to be extraordinary in some way which keeps the cycle going and the ones who can't get away from this life style "cry" aka just going mad with frustration while the ones who keep adding fuel to the fire being the rich and famous by suggesting in a way that you must be like them to achieve what life is all about deserve to die, atleast in some sense of the word. The part where he's talking about the father is the result of unanswer prayers of wanting to being lead in a more meaningful direction and how huge companies, the media, and the rich and famous are creating an invisible cage for society to spend their lives in and it's going unchecked. That's just how it works for me.Jezor - Redding, Ca

Chop Suey is an american dish that is just a mixture of lots of things all thrown into one, thus making it 'Chop Suey'. This title reflects on the whole song which can mean a load of different things depending on the person listening to it and the way they chose to interpret it. It might be about jesus, it might be about drug abuse, it could be lots of other things aswell. Also it is describing System of a Down's music. Since it was the first single from the Toxicity album, it might be trying to portray the album as a mixture of styles or something along those lines. System of a Down didn't intend their music to have a set meaning that is obvious for everyone to see, they wanted to make people think about it a bit. It depends on the person listening to Chop Suey as to what it means.Sam - Sheffield, England

self righteous suicide refers to a suicide comitted as an act to do what is right in accordance with thier own esteem. "Father into your hand, I commend my spirit," could refer to the act of a person preparing for thier death(suicide in this case) by asking god to "recieve" them. "Why have you forsaken me," Could refer to the feeling that a bad life could be caused by god. "I cry when angels deserve to die," could refer to the person as bieng a great person cut down in thier prime. I'm not sure what the rest of the song is about.Renae - Mill Grove, Pa

Okay, I'll analyse this for you all. This is what it is, and I dare anyone to challenge it. "Wake up" means that people aren't paying attention to the world around them and should be doing so. "Grab a brush and put a little makeup/Hide the scars to fade away the shakeup" denotes someone in an abusive relationship covering it up with makeup. "Why'd you leave the keys upon the table" is a simple reason for the abuser to justify beating the abusee. "Here you go create another fable" is obviously the abuser calling the abusee a liar if he/she reports it. "Trust in my self-righteous suicide" is completely meaningless and was thrown in to screw up people who wanted to analyse it. "I cry when angels deserve to die" is saying that even the forces of heaven are screwing up (they never stop the cycle of abuse), and thus deserve to die. Face it, the world's f***ed. "Father into your hands I commend my spirit/Why have you forsaken me?" The kid taking after the father (several years later) wanting to know why he set such a bad example. In closing, this is what the song means. Oh, and this is 100% bullsh** :) Just look up a real System Of A Down explenation and you'll get a whole lot of stuff on Armenian Genocide. You're all crazy.Phillip - Terrace, Canada

okay SOAD is religous, look at the lyrics of science http://www.lyricsfreak.com/s/system-of-a-down/134835.html so i think it could be about jesus or somthing religous but i dont knowWilliam - Massillon, Oh

Have you heard "Touched" by VAST? that song sounds exactly like this song.Takashi - Tokyo, Japan

I think this song is so special because my best friend shot herself and this song was played at her funeral...The words " I cry when Angels deserve to die" and "Father dear hands, I commend my spirit" defenentaly efects why so many kids love it so much, a lot of teens are reaching for a song that declares how they feal and this one takes the punch.. I think that this song is fricken awsome and the words " I dont think you trust in my Self-Richeouse Suicide" might have to do with the death of Jesus because he could have possibly just said no, and stopped himself but he died for all of us, and I think this is an awsome song.Kayla - Anchorage, Ak

ok the bible part yeah that is out of the bible they didnt make that part upKarl - Karlstown, Ct

Okay yall here's what the band confirmed the song means. You can find this on www.8notes.com in their biography. And since the band is Armenian, it makes since.

"Their first big hit was the controversial 'Chop Suey!', released in the late summer of 2001. The title comes from a poem of Father Armeni, who wrote about Armenia after the genocide of 1915. He asked God why have you forsaken me in your eyes. Father Armeni also said that in Armenia a self righteous suicide has taken place."

Okay hope this clears things up.Ian - Atlanta, Ga

i think this song is about this couple where the husband/boyfriend abuses the wife/girlfriend. so the boyfriend is going to committe suicide and the girlfriend tries to stop him hence(You wanted to,Grab a brush and put a little makeup,You wanted to,Hide the scars to fade away the shakeup,You wanted to,Why'd you leave the keys upon the table,You wanted to,I don't think you trust,In, my, self righteous suicide,)and the line i cry when angles deserve to die, is saying he is sad when fallen angels make him do bad things, thus the fallen angels deserve to die. The lines (Father into your hands, I commend my spirit why have you forsaken me, and self righteous suicide)the boyfriend is saying is death is good for everyone like jesus' death was.....and thoose are my thoughtsNick - Sacramento, Ca

man this song kicks ass it is soo cool i love the vid it is awsome i told my mates about them now they totally dig them and their at the download festival this year awsome!!Sara - Wallasey, England

I will just say this song is one of the best i've ever heard and it's definitely SOAD's best work to date. You can feel it's made with a lot of heart.It's mostly a tribute to the Armenian people killed by the ottomans at the beginning of the 20'th century.And for all the guys who gave all kinds of stupid meanings to this song...there you go, create another fable!Andrei - Bv, Romania

Ok I have a question I think yall are really smart for that but what does " Why'd you leave the keys up on the table " , " Hide the scars to fade away the shake up " and " Grab a brush and put on a little make up " have to do with God , Jesus, or the devil ? e-mail me and let me know jmranger2010@sbcglobal.netJordan - Benton, Ar

marc from canada is right, it is really sad...Dustin - Chattanooga, Tn

yeah, i guess its a pretty good song. i love the music to it and all, but...its really really sad. think about it, "i cry when angels deserve to die", im sure it means something else...but angels dont deserve to dieSarah - Quito, South America

i SERIOUSLY used 2 hear this song and always think that serj was saying "Wake up! Grandma should put on a little make-up..."Lyzette - Moorpark, Ca

when I first heard this song it sounded to me like a guy (or girl) who is totally confused about their faith. they cant choose between good and evil because they themselves have nevere felt exepted by ethier.Thats what I think anywaysJer - London, Canada

Now since I don't know the band personally or anything, but I've read that this song is based off the guitarist's brother who commited suicide. Now this brother had been close to everyone in the band, and that's why they all chose to dedicate this song to him. Most of the lyrics mean little things, like "Grab a brush and put on a little makeup" mostly just implied how his last day went, for instance that was just because he put on some deoderant or cologne. And it goes on to describe his last morning, but the key two lines are "Why'd you leave the keys upon the table?" which was the actual reason he commited suicide oddly enough. He had arrived to his car, but forgot his keys, so he went back inside and, well, never came out. "Well, I don't think you trust...in...my... self-righteous suicide." that line mostly just meant that he didn't want everyone to feel badly for him, he felt like he was doing this for the best interest of himself and everyone around him. Anyway, like I said, he was close to everyone in the band, while they were in the studio, they apparently took one take to do this, besides the practices. During that take, EVERYONE in the band, and EVERYONE there that day could not stop crying during the song, and that is why there is so much emotion behind it. When it was finished John had totally demolished his drums.Marc - Bathurst, Canada

I got the jesus angle. I was thinking Jesus all the way.Max - New York, Ny

Personally, I dont believe the song was directly related to christianity. I think Chop Suey is dealing with being abused and ending the pain with suicide. Its not in SOAD's style to create a song praising christianity, they seem very unbiased religiously in their lyrics.Justin - Albany, Or

"Father into your hands, I command my spirit" was the last thing Jesus said before he died on the cross. If you want to see it, I think it's somewhere in the Romans chapter. I dont know off the top of my headBilly Ross - Hagerstown, Md

I think its a mix a everything that they put already- except for the stupid ideas of course- but SOAD always have confusing mysterious lyrics that you have to look into to understand, so who knowsGabriel Maclean - Toronto, Canada

uhhh its about abortion when saying "when angels deserve to die" thats like an unborn child soooSamm - Sacramento, Ca

If you knew anything about Armenian HIstory you would know what the song meant. In 1915 the Ottoman Turks commited a genocide agaisnt the Armenians. 2,000,000 were killed. After the Genocide a poet named Father Armeni. Father Armeni asked God "why have you forsaken me". He also said in Armenia during that time "a self righteous suicide has taken place".Thats where some of the lyrics come from.Jj - Las Angelos, Egypt

I believe this song is over thought and over-hyped. Think about it for yourself take it for what it is. I believe it is about inner anguish and pain and drugs but hey that's just me.Kevin - Minneapolis, Mn

i agree strongly with the "joy ride" theroy.if you think about it as a religos thing then maybe the kid who goes for the joy ride is extremly religous. and is confused about why satan desirves to die.Emma - Nt, Australia

I cry when angel's deserve to die is referring to Satan not Jesus.Satan was an angel called Lucifer but betrayed God and it breaks God's heart that Lucifer condemnded himself.

The self-righteuous suicide refers to Jesus in his sacrifice of his life for us.

Sheesh this is so obvious, I shouldn't have to explain it.John - Gosford, Australia

ok...this song is so about jesus...like Father into your hands, I commend my spirit why have you forsaken me" -what jesus said before he died-and this song is about suiside and death. and when they " i cry when angels deserve to die." well i dont understand that part bc good ppl DONT deserve to die..they are good..i mean they dont die. BUT maybe they are saying/jesus is like you should have sent an angel, not me to do this. In a way jesus had SELFRICHOUS SUISIDE-for us. he dies on the cross for us and that is self richous he had a good reason for it. im not good at explaining myself if u hadent already found that out but just listen to the song and thing about jesus and things in the bible u might get what im saying :)Ragina - L.a, Ca

I think that System of a Down's songs are songs with infinate possibilities when it comes to lyrics. That's why they are so great. They wrote it so just about anyone could love the song. Ask a Christian fan if he likes it, he'll say "Yeah, it's about Jesus." Ask a Satanist, he'll be like "Hell yeah, Jesus sucks."Michael - Elwood, In

Hey if you go to www.av.com and click on Video and type in FINAL FANTASY-CHOP SUEY (i thinck) an click on the 2nd picture than it will take you to a site where it allows you to c a Final Fantasy music video for this.When i saw it I cried when Aeris died but then the power went out ad it was so weird!btw its still good.Scott Baldwin - Edmonton, Canada

I always took this song to be about a guy(or girl to be un-sexist) who is probably going through a very hard time. Ppl say it could be about suicide bombers but that doesn't fit the rest of the song neither does it being about Jesus. It without a doubt refers to the Bible but I don't think thats what it is actually about. Anyway I think its about a guy who is trying to do the right thing in life but whos life is still messed up. "I cry when angels deserve to die"- i interpreted this to mean "I suffer when the supposed 'good ppl' should be suffering instead" The whole suicide part could be literal or not depending on how you interpret it. The rest is about him basically asking God how he could do this to him when he tries so hard to do the right thing. Anyway I think it fits if u apply it to the bible bc Jesus was doing the right thing and he still suffered one of the most painful deaths.Mike - Newton, Nj

I just wanted to know if anyone heard the version of Avril Lavigne singing this song and i just wanted to say it is by far the most retarded song i have ever heard. I like Chop suey... when system of a down sings it but she sounded like she was dyingAmanda - Mineral Ridge, Oh

Hmm... I guess this song's ok. Not a big fan of System Of A Down... I gotta say this song makes me laugh coz its fast.... hehe.... and the way he sings it..... lol...... great lyrics though.Alyssia - Melbourne, Australia

Perhaps a lot of what the lyrics say are'nt as calculated as they may seem. As a song writer (although still relatively new at it), lyrics often come to me without thinking about whether all the words tie up together like a comlplete algebraic equation. Music helps us describe what words can't, so although there are parallels and stories we can attribute to the song, a lot of it could just be an emotional feeling the songwriter's trying to express and the connections he draws best describe it. (The aching in his voice towards the end of the song is exhilarating and hits me big time)Yorrie - Johannesburg, South Africa

U all sound very confused, I mean are they religious if they are they should say so, make it a lot easier for you people. Personally I think it could be religious but I listen to christian rock a lot. Usually theres more clues, maybe they mean to give a very indepth portrayal of how they bring faith into there lives?Kristen - Campbellville, Canada

I was listening to this song today, and I started to think that the lyrics were criticising Jesus. The song starts with a loud "Wake up!" which is self-explainatory. "...here you go create another fable." is also self-explainatory. Then, Jesus's sacrifice is called "self-rightious" yet we are asked to trust it.Lastly, we hear Jesus saying "Father into your hands, I commend my spirit" followed immediately by "Why have you forsaken me?" seeming to me as a direct contradiction. Maybe arguing that Jesus was simply a mortal man?

Of course, this explaination (found on multiple sites) seems a a tad more realistic given the songs on their original album and much more simplistic.

"The title comes from a poem of Father Armeni, who wrote about Armenia after the genocide of 1915. He called the Armenian land a chop suey and asked God why have you forsaken me in your eyes. Father Armeni also said that in Armenia a self righteous suicide has taken place."

www.wordiq.com/definition/System_of_a_DownAndy - New Palestine, In

Does anybody know if this song is satanic in any way?Kyle - Cranston, Ri

Its about a young guy, whose parents are fighting, his mother is a battered wife, trying to disguise the bruises with makeup. The guy is suicidal, considering his bad home environment, and all the pressures of life etc. One day his mother leaves her car keys on the table, he takes the car and goes for a joy ride. He is crying out for the holy Father to receive his soul, while at the same time asking why (his Father) has forsaken him. He believes he is an innocent, but that he deserves to die (because he has the intention of, or has already committed suicide by crashing the car. Obvious.Caroline - Beirut, Luxembourg

okay... well this song is actually a LAMENT which is a song about someone's anger towards God... and some of the words were what Jesus said before he was crucified that he actually was repeating from the Jewish scriptures since he was a strong jew and when they talk about i cry when angels deserve to die its because the person is mad because the angel are supposed to be watching over them and the song is basically just about someone being angry with God.. does anyone know any other songs that have passages form the bible?Abcdefg - Mississippi, Al

i dont know but a lot of you who are writing about the religious aspect of the song must not know what the word Self-righteous means..heres a definition for you Self-righteous: convinced of one's own righteousness especially in contrast with the actions and beliefs of others : narrow-mindedly moralistic. and for those that dont understand that here is a Synonym: Hypocritical and to further state what i mean some related words to that:goody-goody, holier-than-thou, moralistic, pietistic, religiose; casuistic; affected, insincere; bland, glib, mealymouthed, oily, smooth, smooth-spoken, smooth-tongued, unctuous... I dont know about you but soounds like the exact opposet of the Jesus i know.Chris - Minneapolis, Mn

Get over it,this is not about drugs.Daron said this himself(duh),"this is about how socieity veiws death.say for example,if i died of a disease,ppl would be like 'oh,poor daron!' but if i died of drugs,ppl would be like,'oh yah,he did it to himself'".so stop moaning and listen to the music.Scott Baldwin - Edmonton, Canada

This song is a first person narrative from Jesus. Preiod. That's what it is. The verse speaks of the vanity of our society. The chorus is simple: People have quit trusting in Jesus' self-righteous suicide (crucifixtion), the angels deserving to die is speaking of Satan. Satan was one of the three arch-angels before being banished from Heaven. The bridge actually quotes Jesus from the Bible, "Father, why have you forsaken me?" I'm pretty sure SoaD does not believe in Christianity, but the song makes a powerful point. It's not blasphemous at all... to the contrary, it could almost be viewed as being in support of the views of Christianity.Andy - Kalamazoo, Mi

this song is taking to God about being a hopeless sinner. First look at the chorus, when he says that he does not trust in my self righteous suicide. he is talking to god saying that God is not accepting his self righteousness ( self righteousness is the act of making your sins acceptable in your own sight which is not acceptable by god's standards). then when they say when angels deserves to die, he is talking about Satan who was an angel who is going to die, they are also saying that They trusted in God andhe forsake them and the devil has been so good to them. they really don't understand why god must kill the devil when he comes again.Mike - Baltimore, Md

Wait a minute bip, Chimichangas is soooo Mexican! How can you say it isn't?just kiddingWill - Portland, Or

I was blown away the first time i heard this song. Im not gonna get involved on whether theres a religious agenda behind this incredible piece of music, but all i know is that i agree with Daron Malakian. That theres no point making a song with 'fixed' lyrics; It'sde how to interpret it. I think that what makes SOAD one helluva band. So WAKE UP! Dammit.Ridz - Los Angeles, Ca

in this song when its talking about how 'angels deserve to die' he is talking about the los angelos angels and the bombings that were ther.Lisa - Mckinney, Tx

Alan,In the Modern edition of the bible he says "Father,In your hands i place my spirit."Scott Baddwin - Edmonton, England

Chop Suey isn't even chinese. Its an american made dish served in chinese resteraunts.They made it so americans would have a food they are more comfortable with. Its like how chimichanga's arent even mexican food. Go to China and ask them for chop suey, they will either laugh at you, or have no clue what your talking about.Bip - Seymour, In

this song is so sweet and so not blasphemous its when angels deserve to die section could just mean how sad they feel to live in a world where angels (ie. good people) deserve to dieAlex - Edmonton, Canada

I am a Christian, and while I hope this song isn't blasphemous, as it sounds, I think it might be. Another meaning I get from it is this, I think it's a song from a kid's point of view, about their abusive parent. I think he uses the Bible verse, and the term "Angels deserve to die" as a parallel, to how children sometimes view their parents. I think the only reason I have trouble believing this song is calling Christ's death a "self-righteous suicide" is because the verses have absolutely nothing to do with Christ. I may be wrong, but who knows?Clay - Dekalb, Il

"The self righteous suicide part is about Jesus because he gave his life."

I think you should look up what self righteous means.Jesse - Maxwell, Ca

Hmm, I always felt that this song deals about suicide assasins, who blow themselves up, and turn into Chop Suey.With this song SOAD accuses them and points out the senselessness of such a deed as claiming it as a "self-righteous suicide". He leaves his keays on the table, for he won't need them again.But he must realise how stupid it all is when he hits the detonator, he realises, that "angels" (probably children, etc.) are about to get slaughtered with him. he looks towards god and realises that it was not what he wanted (thus the "why have you forsaken me").Christian - Bremen, Germany

The song probably means alot of things.To me it's about addiction."Wake up,grab a brush and put on alittle make up hide the scars that fade away the shake up",you try to hide all your problems from people."Why'd you leave the keys upon the table here you go create another fable",I don't understand the part about the keys but I think "here you go create another fable" means that whenyou take the drug you're creating something that isn't real so that you can pretend everything's ok."Well I don't think you trust in my self righteous suicide I cry when angels deserve to die."I think that means that you're unhappy and suicidal and nobody is taking you seriously.The suicide is self-righteous because you're life is so miserable that death would be better than living."Father into your hands I commend my spiritwhy have you forsaken me..,"I think this means that when you kill yourself you put your soul in the hands of God."Why have you forsaken me.." means why have you forgotten about me,why have you made my life so miserable.I love this song,I can relate to it perfectly.Samantha - Youngstown, Oh

First of all, I'm not saying this is the meaning, I have no clue what message the song was intended to deliver. Whenever I listen to a song, usually i don't care what the song means to the artist, but what it means to me. If the two meet head on, all the better. Second, I'm not a religous person. I have an interest in Theology but only as a subject, not as a structure of faith or belief. With that said:Near the end of the song, starting with "Father," to me it seems as though the song is in regards to not only Jesus, but Lucifer (the First/Fallen Angel). "Father" carries an echo which makes it seem as though two individuals are speaking the part though not at the same time. This is followed by the "Forsakens" which can very much relate to the Son of God as well as Satan. And then we get to the final chorus which is harmonized.As for the beginning of the somg, i haven't put much thought to it. As I've said, I only imagine what I feel. An regardless of what mood I'm in, when the end of the song draws near, I can't help but picture Jesus on the cross with Lucifer standing before him. Jesus knows that he needs to sacrifice his life in order to save his children. He knows that without his death, his creation will crumble and he shall no longer be God to anyone. Meanwhile, Lucifer knows that with Jesus mounted on the cross, the countdown accelerates ever more quickly to Armageddon. Prophecy has been fullfilled yet again and soon, the creation shall reconcile with God and Lucifer will be forever damned to the pit. Jesus was not only a sacrifice to save human souls, but a sacrifice to condemn the Fallen Angel once and for all.Raven - Norwalk, Ca

This is a great song. My mom was the one who pointed out to me that it was about Jesus. The self righteous suicide part is about Jesus because he gave his life. And Father into your hands I commend my spirit why have you forsaken me, these were the last words spoken by Jesus on the cross. This song rocks. I don't think I could ever burn myself out on it.Chris - Victoria, Tx

Although they come from a Christian country, they are almost certainly (as is the SOAD Style) patronising Jesus, and are definately not in anyway for Christianity. My take is that they don't believe that Jesus died for anyone but himself. The angels he speaks of that he cries for, to me I imagine the millions of Armenians genocidically slaughtered by the Ottomans in the early 1900's.James - Basildon, England

serj and the rest of the band are all of armenian descent...curly hair and big noses don't make u jewish,and u were close, he was born in lebanon.Nicoletta - Bronx, Ny

in my opinion, i look at it as a blasmetic point of view..

he contunually mentions a self-rightoues suicide, and of course, the words that jesus spoke on the cross as he died..

perphaps if u add them together, you see what i'm getting at. jesus's death to humanity was only a self-rightous attempt??? maybe i wrong, but that what it sounds liek ot me. PS.. people keep telling me the lead singer is jewish or soemthing, umm that doesn't matter, the jewish religion does not envolve jesus, and he might just be from Israel...Matt - Charlotte, Nc

My friend and I tried to break the song down to figure out what is was about. We came up with that it is about a parent how leaves their keys on the table, then their kid(angel) gets a hold of them, goes for a joy ride, kills himself, and then the parent grieves. The grabbing the bush and putting on make up could be covering the wounds and scars from the accident. The whole forsaking part we came up with to be either the parent questioning god's will, or the child asking his parents not to forget him... That's what we came up with but the whole jesus parallel also came up when we were talking about it.Jason - Columubus, Oh

Daron said that this song was about the way people view death. Like for instance, if people heard that he died from cancer they'd think, "oh, poor Daron," but if he were to die from drug abuse, they'd be like "well, he did it to himeslf." He said that people don't understand that they are both diseases.Julie - New Orleans, La

This was covered by avril lavigne. it was a horrible cover, really. she just butchered it.Pschoman364 - Nyc, Ny

the song is about jesus talking to his deciples at the last super (atleast thats what i think it is). the whole wake up part in the begining is after people die people put makeup on the bodies faces durring open casket funerals. the scars are the 9 inch nails. the keys are the gateway to heaven. . obviously the trusting in his self richious suiside is the crusifiction and how the deciples and all of man should trust hes its the best decision. Also the line about "Father into your hands, I commend my spirit why have you forsaken me"were spoken by jesus. This is only my interpretation so if anyone dissagrees i wanna hear yours =)Steven - Casselbery, Fl

I just wanna know what they put that in there for, I'm confused as to whether they are mocking Jesus or what? If somebody knows, lemme know.Phil - Wellington, Fl

At the end of the song he starts singing "Father into your hands, I commend my spirit why have you forsaken me" these lines are both disputed to be the last words jesus spoke before he died.Caleb - Hamilton, Canada